Panoramic camera.



Patented Mar. I3, 1900.

2 Sheets8heot N. THOMAS. PANORAMIC CAMERA.

(Application filed July 15, 1899.)

(No llddal.)

MM .0 4% M Snow Iron alt-town? witnesses No. 645,276. Patented Mar. l3,I900.

. N. THOMAS.

PANORAMIC CAMERA.

(Application filed July 15. 1899.) (No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

NICHOLAS THOMAS, OF BURLINGTON, \VISCONSIN.

PANORAMIC CAM ERA.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 645,276, dated March13, 1900.

Application filed July 15,1899. Serial No. 723,968. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, NIoHoLAs THOMAS, a citizen of the United States,residing at Burlington, in the county ofRacine and State of lVisconsin,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Panoramic Cameras;and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exactdescription of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in theart to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being hadto the accompanying drawings, and to the figures of reference markedthereon, which form a part of this specification.

Myinvention relates to panoramic cameras, and has for its object toconstruct such a camera in which the lens will revolve around a centerand a film-carrier will travel in the same direction, but at a differentspeed; also, to providea construction in which the lens and the film aresupported by the same carrier, so as to move together.

It has, further, for its object to provide improved features ofconstruction and arrangement of parts, as will be made to hereinafterappear.

To the accomplishment of the foregoing and such other objects as mayhereinafter appear the invention consists in the construction and alsoin the combination of parts hereinafter particularly described, and thensought to be specifically defined by the claims, reference being had tothe accompanying drawings, forming a part hereof, and in which- Figure 1is a front elevation of the camera looking in the direction of the lens.Fig. 2 is avertical section through the same. Fig. 3 is a plan view withparts in horizontal section and with a part of the top broken away. Fig.4 is a horizontal section through the casing or shell containing thegear-operating mechanism, said mechanism being shown in full lines. Fig.5 is a detail view of the rackgear, and Fig. 6 is a sectional detailview of the speed-regulatin g device.

In the drawings the numeral 1 designates the camera-case, which may beof any desired form, but which is rotatable around a center and whichcarries a lens-holder 2, which may be of any approved pattern, but whichin this instance is provided at one end with flanges 3, adapted to slidebeneath the plate 4, so that it can be readily detached from the case 1when desired. The case 1 is provided with a slot 5 for the passage ofthe rays of light from the lens-holder, at which point is also provideda shutter 6, provided with an opening 7, which when in register with theslot 5 will permit the light-rays to enter the case 1 and act upon thesensitive film, said shutter being provided with a thumb-piece 8,

by which it may be moved so as to bring the solid portion of the shutteropposite the slot 5, and thus cut off the light-rays from the interiorof the case. The case 1 also carries a film-holder 0, which is providedwith a sliding section 10 to permit the insertion and withdrawal of theroll or film 11, which is wound around a core 12, which will be suitablyjournaled in the film-holder, so as to rotate.

Inside of the casing 1 is a rotatable cylinder 13, designed to receivethe film 11 as supplied from its roll, and to which the light-rays aretransmitted as the cylinder passes in front of the lens-holder. The film11 may be attached to the cylinder 13 in any suitable manner, but Iprefer to attach it as shownthat is, by passing it through a slot 14 inthe cylinder and securing it then to a suitable fastening device 15 onthe inside of the cylinder.

The casing 1 and cylinder 13 are sustained.

in their proper position by a shaft 16, which may be stationary and maybe held in place by a nut 17 at one end, the other end being formed witha head 18, which may bear against a suitable frame 19, secured inside of.a box or casing 20, said frame 19 having a hub 21,

through which the shaft 16 will pass; but

curing the cylinder to the sleeve or hollow shaft may be by means ofthehubs 25 and26 of the cylinder, which may be secured to the sleeve bykeys or screws or in any other wellknown manner. The upper hub 26 formsa part of a spider 27, the flange 28 of which is secured to the insideof the cylinder, a space being left between the periphery of thecylinder 13 and the inner wall of the case 1 for the film, which iswound around the periphery of the cylinder after the impression is madeon the film by the light-rays from the lens holder. A flange 29,projecting from the top of the case 1, fits inside of the cylinder, asshown in Fig. 2, so as to make a light-tight joint. The top of the case1 has hinged doors 30, through which access may be had to the interiorof the case and also of the inside cylinder for the placing of theremovable lensholder for transportation and also of extra rolls of film.

The outside case carrying the lens is rotatable around a center bysuitable means, so that a picture may be taken of all objects within therange of rotation of the lens, and the film-receiving drum or cylinderis caused to travel around a center at the same time that the lens iscaused to travel an d at a faster speed than the lens, so that a freshsurface of film is constantly presented to the light-rays, the filmbeing Wound upon its receiving-drum as it is unwound from thefilm-carrying roll.

Suitable mechanism is provided for moving the film-receiving drum at afaster speed than the lens-carrying case. The means which I findspecially well adapted for rotating the lens-case and film-receivingdrum is apinion 31, connected by screws 32 or otherwise to the case 1,and a smaller pinion 24, connected to the film-receiving drum 13, forinstance, by securing it to the shaft 22 of the drum by screws 23 orotherwise, and a suitable rack 35 for imparting a rotary motion to saidpinions, such a rack being illustrated as of segmental form and havingone set of teeth 36 to engage the teeth of the pinion 31 and another setof teeth 37 to engage the smaller pinion 24, so that as the rack ismoved rotary motion is transmitted to the case and the film-receivingdrum through their respective pinions, and the film-receiving drum iscaused to travel faster than the lens-carrying case, thus presenting afresh surface of film to the light-rays as the two parts travel aroundtheir center. By having the lens-carryin g case and the film-receivingdrum travel in the same direction and at different speeds from eachother a sharperand clearer picture is obtained of the changing views.The rack 35 is shown as connected to a shaft 38 and may be operated byany suitable clock mechanism or otherwise, the particular meansillustrated in the drawings consisting of a spring 39, connected to theshaft so as to move the rack in a direction to rotate the camera-caseand filmreceiving drum. The end of the shaft 38 is provided withsuitable means--for instance, with a thumb-nut t0by which the cameracaseand film-receiving drum may be moved backward.

In order that the film may not be unwound from its receiving-drum whenrotated back-- ward, a suitable clutch is employed which will cause thefilm-receiving drum to be positively driven in the direction to wind thefilm thereon and permit it to be moved in the opposite direction withoutunwinding the film. A suitable clutch for this purpose consists, asillustrated, of a ratchet 41, secured to the shaft 22 of the drum 13,and one or more pawls 42, pivoted to a suitable part of the drum 13 andwhich may be under the influence of a spring 43, so that when the shaft22 is driven in one direction the parts of the clutch will engage so asto drive the drum, so as to wind the film thereon, and when thecameracase is turned backward the parts will slip over the ratchet andpermit the film-drum to be drawn backward with the camera-case by thepulling action of the film, the mounting of the film-drum on its shaftbeing so free that the drum can be turned back without sufficientfriction to unwind the film from either its roll or from oif the drum.

Suitable means are employed for regulating or governing the speed of thecamera-case and film-receiving drum. For such purpose I have illustrateda piston cylinder 44, pivotally connected at one end by its shaft ortrunnions 45 to the frame 19, as illustrated in Figs. at and 6, andprovided with a piston or plunger 40, which at its outer end is hingedor pivotally connected to an arm or crank 47, extending from the hub ofthe rack 35, supported and carried by the shaft 38. The cyl inder 44 isprovided with a port 48, controlled by a tapering plugor valve 49, so asto regulate the quantity of air or cushioning agent that may passthrough the same in the operation of the plunger or piston, and thusgovern the speed of the rack and through it the rotation of thecamera-case and film-drum. By adjusting the tapering valve the size ofthe port can be increased or diminished. I have also shown alongitudinal port 50 in the piston or plunger, which has aspring-influenced valve 51 at its inner end and which in the outwardmovement of the plunger or piston will open the longitudinal port, butin the inward movement will close the port. Any other suitable speedregulating or govering device may be used.

On the top of the camera-case is a level 52.

It is of course understood that the parts will be so proportioned andadjusted that the proper relative speed will be given to the camera-casecarrying the lens and the filmreceiving drum, so that the film-drum willtravel at the speed required to expose the fresh film to the light-raysas the View changes. For instance, if thefilm-receiving drum is of thediameter that would be described by a radius equal to the focus of thelens the film should travel about twice as fast as the lens; but if thediameter be equal to the focus then it should travel about three timesas fast as the lens-carrier. It will also be understood that there willbe employed any suitable means for controlling the length of the pic IIOture taken; but the invention is not in such means, and as any preferredmeans may be employed for the purpose none need be illustrated.

As before stated, the camera-case which carries the lens and thefilm-drum which receives and carries forward the film may both be movedbackward by simply turning the camera-case backward by grasping thelenstube with the hand, which movement will also move backward thefilm-carrier. Means may be provided for locking the camera-case andfilm-receiving drum together when they are to be moved backward, or somesuitable frictional device may be employed for preventing the film-core12 from turning to unwind the film when the film-carrier and lenscarrierare moved backward; but such means are not illustrated, as the same arenot claimed herein and are not essential to the other features of theinvention.

I have illustrated and described with particularity the details ofconstruction and arrangement of parts adapted for the successfuloperation of a camera of the kind described; but my invention is notconfined to such details except where they are particularly specified inthe claims, and it is obvious that various changes may be made withoutdeparting from the essential features of my invention.

Having described my invention and set forth its merits, what I claimis- 1. In a panoramic camera, the combination with a revolvinglens-carrier and film-holder, of a revolving film-receiving drum, saidlenscarrier and drum turning in the same direction and at differentspeeds, substantially as described.

2. In a panoramic camera, the combination with a revolving lens-carrierand film-holder, of an internal film-receiving drum revoluble at agreater speed than the lens-carrier and traveling in the same directiontl1erewith,substantially as described.

3. In a panoramic camera, the combination with a revolving camera-casecarrying a lensholder and a film-holder in its rotation, of afilm-receiving drum rotatable in the. same direction with thecamera-case and at a different speed therefrom, substantially as described.

4. In a panoramic camera, the combination with a revolving lens-carrierand film-holder,- of a revolving film-receiving drum adapted to travelin the same direction and at a dif ferent speed from the lens-carrier,and a gov ernor for regulating the speed, substantially as described.

5. In a panoramic camera, the combination of the revolving camera-casecarrying a lensholder and a film-holder, a revolving film-receivingdrum, pinions of difierent diameters connected one with the camera-caseand the other with the film-receiving drum, means for operating saidpinions to cause the cameracase and film-receiving drum to travel in thesame direction and at different speeds, clutch mechanism whereby thefilm-drum is driven positively in one direction and permitted to turnbackward without unwinding the film therefrom, and means for regulatingthe speed of rotation of the parts, substantially as de scribed.

6. In a panoramic camera, the combination with a revolving lens-carrier,of a film-carrier, and means for moving the film in the same directionas the lens and at a faster speed than the lens-carrier, substantiallyas described. I

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

NICHOLAS THOMAS. Witnesses:

CHARLES L. GRAHAM, Gno. O. DENNISTON.

